August 2nd, 2026 - Faith that Saves, Part 4: Fruitless? Fix It (9:00 AM)

Aug 03, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Fruitless Fig Tree and Spiritual Health

A leafy fig tree deceives from a distance, but up close reveals barrenness. Jesus’ curse of the tree wasn’t about hunger but a warning against spiritual emptiness. Just as Israel’s religious showmanship lacked true fruit, our lives can appear vibrant while hiding inner decay. Fruitlessness exposes disconnectedness from God’s Spirit. Health isn’t measured by busy faith routines but by tangible love, patience, and kindness growing through surrender to Christ. [18:24]

“Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Then he said to the tree, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’” (Mark 11:12-14, ESV)

Reflection: Where does your life resemble leafy religiosity without real fruit? What step can you take this week to invite the Spirit into that area?

Day 2: Faith Expressing Itself Through Love

Rules and rituals impress crowds but leave hearts cold. True faith overflows in practical love—patience with a coworker, kindness to a grumpy spouse, refusing to keep score. Love is the litmus test of the Spirit’s presence. When anger or selfishness dominates, it signals a clogged connection to Christ’s heart. God’s love, received daily at the cross, softens calloused places and fuels sacrificial care. [20:40]

“For in Christ Jesus… the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:6, ESV)

Reflection: Which relationship currently feels most draining? How might expressing Christ’s love—not just reacting—change your next interaction?

Day 3: The Tug-of-War Within

Two forces wrestle in every believer: self-driven cravings and Spirit-led freedom. Like a lopsided rope pull, whichever side we feed dominates. Surrender isn’t passive—it’s daily choosing to grip grace through prayer, Scripture, and vulnerable community. Letting go of the “sin rope” allows the Spirit’s strength to overwhelm old patterns. Victory comes not by willpower but by whose strength we lean into. [24:00]

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: Which “side of the rope” have you been strengthening this month? What one habit could help you transfer your grip to the Spirit?

Day 4: One Fruit with Nine Flavors

The Spirit grows a single fruit with distinct flavors—love’s sweetness, peace’s richness, self-control’s tartness. Partial fruit signals partial surrender. A patient person who lacks kindness still misses God’s full design. Like a watermelon needing rind, flesh, and seeds, all nine traits intertwine to reflect Christ’s wholeness. Our job isn’t to manufacture traits but to dig roots deep into Gospel soil. [29:57]

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: Which “flavor” feels underdeveloped in you? What might God be inviting you to release for Him to cultivate it?

Day 5: Nailing Passions to the Cross

Crucifixion isn’t polite—it’s violent surrender. Every sinful craving, from gossip to greed, demands a hammer’s blow. Nailing habits to Christ’s cross creates space for resurrection life. This isn’t self-improvement but execution: declaring old ways dead so Spirit-empowered newness thrives. The process hurts, but freedom blooms where tombs empty. Daily dying births lasting joy. [45:55]

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24, ESV)

Reflection: What specific desire needs nailing to the cross today? What practical “hammer and nail” (accountability, Scripture, fasting) will you wield?

Sermon Summary

Jesus curses the leafy fig tree because the tree looks healthy from far away but has no fruit up close. The fig tree becomes a warning that outside religion, good appearances, and plastic fruit do not satisfy God when the life underneath is spiritually unhealthy. God saves and gives the Holy Spirit so that a person might actually be fruitful, not just look the part.

Paul says circumcision or uncircumcision is not the thing that counts. Faith expressing itself in love is what matters. Love is not just a nice feeling, because love is patient, kind, slow to anger, and does not keep score. The Holy Spirit is God himself living in a believer, so a life that claims the Spirit but has no love is a contradiction.

Paul says freedom can go in two directions. Freedom can serve sinful desires, or freedom can serve one another in love. The tug of war between the sinful nature and the Holy Spirit is real, and the stronger side wins. The Holy Spirit will not fight a person’s choices, so when sin is chosen again and again, that side gets stronger. The Holy Spirit grows stronger in a life that surrenders, reads Scripture, prays, draws near to God, and brings other Christians into the battle.

Paul says the fruit of the Spirit is singular. The Holy Spirit does not produce nine separate fruits where a person can be good with six or seven and ignore the rest. The one fruit has nine parts: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. God wants all of life, not just the parts that feel easier to hand over.

Peter says a failure to grow in these qualities is not mainly an effort problem. The problem is forgetfulness about identity. God has cleansed the old sins, set the believer free, and made that person a Holy Spirit filled saint. Faith receives that truth, and the life begins to follow what God says is true.

The Holy Spirit produces love through relationship, not through rule keeping. Love gives birth to joy and peace, because God’s love steadies the heart even when circumstances are hard. Patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control then show up in how people are treated. Paul says the passions and desires of the sinful nature must be nailed to the cross. Crucifixion hurts, but the death of sinful desire opens the way to real joy, peace, victory, and fruit from the Holy Spirit.

Key Takeaways

1. Leaves cannot replace real fruit The fig tree looked alive, but Jesus exposed what was missing up close. Religious appearance can fool people from a distance, but God looks for the actual fruit of a healthy life. The warning is not against weakness, but against settling for an outside show while the heart stays barren. [18:24]
2. Freedom must serve love Paul’s point is that Christian freedom is not permission to feed the sinful nature. Freedom becomes beautiful when it is used to serve others in love, because love is the shape of faith when faith is alive. A person can know many truths and still miss the fruit God is trying to grow in the heart. [22:11]
3. The stronger side will win The tug of war picture makes the inner battle plain. Sin grows stronger when it is repeatedly chosen, and the Spirit’s rule becomes visible when surrender becomes real. The Holy Spirit is stronger, but he does not force control over a life that keeps dropping the rope. [25:36]
4. Identity changes the battle Peter says the problem is forgetting that the old sins have been cleansed. A believer who still thinks, “this is just who I am,” often keeps living under that old name. God gives a new identity in Christ, and faith begins to act from that truth instead of from the old defeat. [32:34]
5. Sinful desires must be crucified Paul does not tell the believer to negotiate with the passions of the sinful nature. Those desires are nailed to the cross, and crucifixion is painful because sin does not die politely. That hard surrender brings life, because the Spirit grows fruit where sin is no longer being protected.

## [45:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[17:45] - The Leafy Fig Tree Warning
[20:15] - Faith Expressing Itself in Love
[22:11] - Freedom Used to Serve
[24:00] - The Tug of War Within
[26:59] - The Spirit Will Not Force Choices
[29:07] - The Fruit of the Spirit
[29:31] - One Fruit With Nine Parts
[32:07] - Remembering a Cleansed Identity
[34:49] - Love Comes Through Relationship
[37:14] - Joy That Circumstances Cannot Steal
[39:31] - Peace That Guards the Heart
[41:21] - Patience, Kindness, and Faithfulness
[43:31] - Gentleness and Self Control
[45:17] - Nailing Sinful Desires to the Cross

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Galatians 5:22-23
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” [29:19]

Galatians 5:6
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” [20:09]

Galatians 5:13-14
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” [22:08]

Galatians 5:16-17
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” [23:53]

2 Peter 1:9
“For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” [32:22]

Galatians 5:24
“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” [45:24]

Observation questions

In Galatians 5:6 and 5:13-14, what does Paul say counts, and what does he say Christian freedom should be used for? [22:08]
In Galatians 5:16-17, what two forces are described as fighting each other in a believer’s life, and what picture helps make that conflict easier to see? [24:15]
Looking at Galatians 5:22-23, which quality is listed first, and what are the other parts of the one fruit of the Spirit?
In 2 Peter 1:9, what reason is given for why someone may lack these qualities? [32:22]

Interpretation questions

Jesus’ warning through the fig tree is aimed at lives that look healthy from far away but have no fruit up close. What kinds of outward religious “leaves” can make a person seem spiritually healthy while something deeper is missing? [19:12]
Paul says faith works through love. Why does love make such a strong test of whether faith is actually alive, instead of just being an idea a person agrees with? [21:47]
Peter says the deeper problem is forgetfulness, not mainly lack of effort. How does remembering that a believer has been cleansed from former sins change the fight against anger, lust, or other repeated sins? [32:40]
Paul says those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Why is crucifixion such a fitting picture for dealing with sinful desires, and what does that image suggest about how painful and serious repentance can be? [45:54]

Application questions

Where is there a danger of having more leaves than fruit right now—looking fine on the outside, but knowing there is a lack of spiritual health underneath? [19:36]
Christian freedom can serve sinful desires or serve others in love. In the past week, where has freedom been used mostly for self, and where might love need to take a more practical shape in the home, church, or workplace? [23:34]
The stronger side in the inner tug of war will win. What choices, habits, or patterns have been making the flesh stronger lately? What would it look like this week to strengthen the Spirit’s side through Scripture, prayer, surrender, or honest community? [26:22]
The fruit of the Spirit is one fruit with many parts, not a list to pick from. Which part of this fruit feels most absent right now—joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control—and where does that tend to show up most clearly? [30:23]
A failure to grow often begins with forgetting a cleansed identity. In what area has there been a quiet belief of “this is just who I am”? What would it mean to answer that old story with what God says is true instead? [33:28]
Love grows through relationship, not mere rule-keeping. What helps the heart actually receive God’s love again when faith starts to feel dry, mechanical, or heavy? [35:29]
Sinful desires must be nailed to the cross. What desire, reaction, or habit needs to be treated more seriously right now—not managed, not excused, but crucified? What might that costly surrender look like in practice this week? [45:32]

Sermon Clips

58s

#FaithExpressesLove

“What Paul is referring to is circumcision. He's saying these outward ceremonies, these things like all these religious groups have where you pray certain times, you do certain things, that isn't the thing that God wants to produce in your life and my life. How you celebrate Christmas or Easter is not the primary thing God wants to produce in your life. What matters is faith expressing itself in love. Did you catch that? And so if your faith isn't expressing itself in love, you're missing the fruit God wants to produce. What is love? Well, if you know first Corinthians 13, love is patient. It's kind. It's not quick to get angry. Right? It keeps no record of wrongs. And so this week, if you found yourself easily angered, quick to be upset with people, snapping at those around you in your home, what you are missing is the fruit God wants to produce in our life. Because God is the God of love.”

49s

#IdentityInChrist

“So if you believe you still have a problem with anger, guess what you're gonna do? You're gonna continue to be angry. But if you understand I've been set free from anger, I used to be angry but in Christ Jesus now, he gives me the power to be patient. I'm a patient person. Sometimes I struggle with it. Right? Instead of struggling with sin, what we struggle with is sometimes to let the holy spirit do his work. But if what you believe about yourself is what you tend to do, and so if you're here today and you say, I'm a holy spirit filled saint. Right? That's what the bible calls you. Then you start living it. You're not just a sin plagued, hopeless, lost person anymore. That's who you were. But in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit, you can be a patient person. You can be a kind person. It's it's not what we try to through effort to do. It's what we receive through faith.”

49s

#CrucifySin

“So if I want that piece of pizza and I know I don't need it, what do I do? I got out the nail and hammer. I'm nailing it to the cross and I say I'm not gonna eat that because Jesus died for me. I crucify things that aren't pleasing to God. When I'm angry and I get really angry and I really wanna get back at somebody, I get out the nail and hammer and I say, Jesus, you died for me. I'm nailing this to the cross. Bang, bang, bang. It hurts. Crucifixion was never pleasant. Ask anybody who's ever been crucified. Right? They're not here to tell you about it. It wasn't pleasant, but it was a slow painful death and what the bible tells you to do with your sinful date and desires is crucify them. Kill them. It's hard. It's gonna be the hardest thing you've ever done, but will bring in the most joy, life, peace, and and a fruitful life if you will do it.”

62s

#FreedomInChrist

“What Peter's saying is if you're still struggling with the old life, the old temptations, you're you're you're letting the the evil temptation win instead of the holy spirit. Your problem is not effort. What does he say your problem is? It's your your identity. He's saying in Christ Jesus, don't you realize you've been cleansed? You've been set free? Do you believe it? You know what a gift it is that we've been forgiven by God? To realize that our old actions put us on the path to damnation. But in Christ Jesus now, we are right with God. When I see Jesus one day, his arms will be open wide. If I believe that, right, that's why our we're saved by our faith. But if I believe that, it does something to me. And so Peter says, if you're not developing in the way God wants because the Holy Spirit isn't being allowed to control your life, your problem is you don't understand your identity. You should be jumping for joy because you've been set free by Jesus.”

48s

#LoveThroughSpirit

“Because God is the God of love. Right? At the heart if you know God and you you have this new relationship with God, the heart of it is he loves us. Communion, if that doesn't touch you, then you probably don't understand exactly what it's all about. Or you're not understanding that you receive this amazing gift of a new relationship with God through Jesus. You're forgiven. You're restored. You're made new. So if God is in you, right, the Holy Spirit is God himself living in us, he empowers us to be loving. He he gives you the strength. He he touches your heart. He softens you. And so for a person to say I have the Holy Spirit but have no love in your heart is kind of a contradiction because the Holy Spirit produces, expresses itself through love.”

29s

#PeaceThroughTrust

“Peace like joy shouldn't be dependent on your circumstance. A person who fully trusts god even when their life is falling apart can pray to god and say, god, I don't get this. I don't like this even. But God, you're in control. You've always been in control. And so I trust you. Peace comes from understanding even though I live in an anxiety filled, stressful world, I can trust my savior who guides my life.”

50s

#RelationshipNotReligion

“All my life, I feel like I've been around religious people, and so I grew up in the Christian church here. I was in The Middle East around a lot of religious people. One of the things I noticed about religious people is they try really hard to follow rules. They pray a lot. They they read their scriptures. They they try to do good things that they believe will please God. But what tends to be lacking in their life, it's a religious system, is love. Because love comes through relationship. Right? You you don't get love by just trying hard. You meet somebody, you fall in love, or you have a friendship that really has love in it, and you're touched by that love. And so the first thing Paul says that gets starts to get produced in our life when the holy spirit comes in because you have a relationship with God is you start to experience his love.”

46s

#OneFruitNineParts

“The first thing I want you to notice though about the fruit of the spirit is these are not nine different fruits. You notice in English, it says the fruit. Right? It's singular. Just like in the Greek, it's singular. Meaning, the holy spirit produces one fruit in your life that has nine parts to it. And so I think a lot of us think we're doing pretty good because maybe you have six of the qualities or seven of the qualities in your life. Maybe if you're really good because you have eight of them, but that isn't what the holy spirit produces. He doesn't produce eight, he produces all nine. It's kinda like if you have a watermelon. Right? You have the outside rind and then you have the inside and the seeds. It's one watermelon with different parts. While the holy spirit has different qualities or characteristics he's creating in us, but it's one fruit.”

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What does faith expressing itself in love mean

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